Sooo tired...sooo broke....

But boy, this trip was so worth it. I feel so refreshed and clear-headed after a few days away. I'm not a long-vacation-taker, I love long-weekend vacations like this. I am back in the hotel, shoes off, drinking a beer, and I will be asleep by 9 and up at about 4:30 and on the road by 5 to beat the worst of the Beltway jam. Jane Austen will be the soundtrack of the return trip - Pride and Prejudice, to be precise. I haven't read it in 20 years and it is unabridged and long enough to get me all the way home, or at least back to where one CD will finish the drive.

Today was Spendy Day. I had a Very Nice Mother's Day, thank you. Girlchild is home living the life of a SAHM of two toddlers, her AIM away messages have grown increasingly Erma Bombeck in tone with each day. She will be so glad when her mother gets home to take those brats off her hands, and I am grateful that she gave me this lovely long MD weekend.

And then I gave myself stuff. A 32" rigid heddle loom to play with, and a case to store it when not playing. And yes, I said I would only buy tools and maybe some sock yarn, but damn, as we were leaving the hotel this morning I helped Bess and Martha pack up Jen's excess stock, and Bess the Enabler handed me some silk. This is SILK, baby - the colors (bright turquoise blues) GLOW in the sunlight and those are so totally my colors, and it's soft enough to be a sexy next to the skin tank. And that is what it will be. Because though this was not part of the stock going out for sale, Jennifer weighed it up and I bought it. We will not discuss the price, but even the most basic stockinette tank knitted from yarn this primo would cost $400 in a Worth Avenue chi-chi-poo-poo shop, so it was a freakin' steal. Her stuff is truly exotic and her color sense is superb. And I'm not saying that because we're like, the dearest bestest buddies in the inner circle of some KR something so I'm shilling for her, we are really just acquaintances who know the same people. I'm saying that because it was so good, I had to break out the VISA card when I didn't plan on spending that kind of money, but, damn. Had to do it. And I realized later that I have shawl-to-be yarn that will go with it just perfectly, so an outfit is born. As soon as I, uh, make it.

And then Bess and her friend Beth and I wandered, and more yarn somehow just threw itself into my arms. I'm sorry, merino soft as a baby's butt, enough for a sweater for under $50? Like, I was going to walk away??? That would have been SO wrong. It's bright pinks and reds and vividly NOT like anything in my stash.

And there I stopped. Oh, wait, I did buy two big wedges of sheep's milk cheese. The sample was very nice, very delicate. One is for Boss, one is for me.

And I took pictures of sheep, and listened to music, and watched the crowd, and by a bit after noon I had enough and left as the worst of the crowds were pouring through the gate. And went for a drive, and went shopping in some pedestrian stores like Kohl's and Borders. I brought 3/4 and long sleeved shirts up with me and my only t-shirt suffered a food spill on the road on the way here, and I bought 3 t-shirts at Kohl's on sale, one will be the return drive wardrobe.

So I went in to buy a swift and an inkle loom and sock yarn and cheese, and came out with a harp loom and yarn for a scarf and a tank and a sweater and cheese. And I spent more than I intended, and had a whole lot of fun.

Oh, and I think I got hit on while driving on the highway on the way to the festival this morning. There was this guy in a convertible with some sort of antique table piled in the back. I noticed the table, not the driver. So I'm driving and Table Guy is driving, kinda doing that pulling ahead of each other thing cars do, and suddenly he started honking at me. My first thought was "Is something wrong with my car?" He pulled up next to me and started smiling and waving. I'm driving at 70 mph and a guy is speeding next to me to attract my attention. Oookay...maybe he was acknowledging my Florida tag, or something, because if I've still "got it," why is it doing me so little good in my adopted homeland? Do I need to move back to MD to get men to act like this? Hmmm....